Ammunition conveyer for guns



March 4, 1952 AMMUNITION CONVEYER FOR GUNS Filed April 28, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR EDMRD WALLAGE FZRRELL ATTORNEY E. w. FARRELL 2,587,607

March 4, 1952 w, F R L 2,587,607

AMMUNITION CONVEYER FOR GUNS Filed April 28, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EARD WALLACE FARRELL BY M ATTORNEY March 4, 1952 w, F LL 2,587,607 I AMMUNITION CONVEYER FOR GUNS Filed April 28, 1945 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fla. 6

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AMMUNITION CONVEYER FOR GUNS Filed April 28, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 7

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E TOR ammo WA L)? 5 FARRELL ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AMM U NI'IION CONVEYER GUNS Edward Wallace Farrell, United States Marine Corps Application April 28,1945, Serial No. 590,867

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 3 Claims.

This inventionrelates to an "ammunition conveying device and more particularly to an improved device for supplying ammunition to the loading tray of agun.

In supplyin ammunition to large and intermediate caliber naval guns it is the usual practice to convey the ammunition to the proximity of the gun by means of some type of hoist and then to transfer the ammunition from the hoist to the gun by hand or by means of a power'operated device. In larger guns in which the weight of the ammunition makes the use of manual transfer inefi'icient or impossible, various electrically and hydraulically'op'erated mechanisms havebeen devised which remove the ammunition from the hoist and place it on the gun cradle in position to be handledby the-gun loading mechanism. However, such transfer mechanisms are often quite large, complicated, and 'diificult to build and maintain in operation. 'Such'mechanisms are also slow in operation, thus cutting down the firing rate of the gun.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved device for transferring ammunition from a conveying device toa gun without manualassistance of any kind.

Another object of the invention is 'to'provide a novel device at an ammunition conveyer unloading point for transferring. ammunition from the conveyer.

Another object of the invention 'is to provide a device of the character referred to above which is characterized by its simplicity, lightness, and efficiency.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above-described character which operates by utilizing the movement imparted to the ammunition by'the conveyer which moves the a'mmunitionto the proximity of the gun.

Another object of the invention is to provide a deflector adjacent an ammunition hoist to deflect ammunition from the moving. hoist onto the gun.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel hoist for conveying ammunition to the proximity of'a gun.

These and other objects of the invention will be obvious from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my improvedammunition transferring device;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the device with the hoist chain omitted;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. l;

6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 1'l"of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken. on line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

In' the drawings, the numeral I0 denotes the slide of agun and the numeral Ii I denotesthe recoiling housing of the gun. which contains the breech mechanism (not shown) and the gun loading mechanism (not shown). Acutaway portion of theslide and housing forms a loading tray l2 in which the ammunition comes under the control of the gun loading mechanism (not shown). Mounted near the trunnion l3 of the gun is a rack l4, secured by meansof bolts L5 to the recoiling housing H. A collar it is mounted around the trunnion and is attached to the slide. A pinion gear I! is rotatably mounted in an opening in the lower .portionof the collar so as to cooperate with the rack M. The pinion gear I1 is mounted on a pin extending in and fixed to the collar l6 (see Fig. 2)-. On the front and rear portions of the collar relative toslide I dare. mounted springs l8 which carry rollers l9 onitheir free ends for a purpose which will be described presently.

A gear wheel 20 having gear teeth on its inner surface is rotatably mounted on the trunnion so that its teeth mesh with the pinion l1 when. the wheel 2|! ispushed into contact with the pinion against the resistance of springs [8. A washer ring 2| surrounds the trunnion between wheel 20 and sprocket wheel 22.

Sprocket 22, which is coaxial with trunnion l3,

supports and drives a hoist chain 23 which comprises an endless chain passing over the sprocket 22 and over a suitable lower sprocket (not shown) which may be connected with a power source to drive the chain if it is not desired to drive the chain by means of the counter-recoil actuated mechanism. Ammunition lifting arms 23a carried by the hoist chain supportammuniti'on lifted by thehoi'st.

Sprocket wheel 22 has two sets of internal spring pressed pawls .24 and 25, each ofv which comprises a J shaped piece of metal, thenlonger arm of which is thin and resilient. The pawls are pivotally mounted in thesprocket wheel. at thebase of the J with the thin resilient portion 26 of the pawl extending into recesses-.21 formed in the inner peripheryof the sprocket'wheel, the

thicker shorter arm of the J projecting beyond the inner periphery of the sprocket wheel so as to act as a detent, as will be discussed more fully presently. By this construction of the pawls, there is no loose spring to become detached and the pawls are retained in position at all times.

Pawls 24 cooperate with notches 28 on wheel 20 so that counterclockwise rotation of wheel 20, as seen in Fig. 2, does not cause a rotation of sprocket wheel 22, but clockwise rotation of wheel 20 causes a corresponding motion of sprocket wheel 22. Pawls Z3 cooperate with notches 29 on the outer periphery or a hub 30 which moves with the gun and trunnion as will be explained presently so as to prevent counterclockwise rotation of sprocket wheel 22, but to permit clockwise rotation oi the sprocket wheel.

Hub 3u, which is mounted on the trunnion of the gun, fixedly supports a deflector plate 31, which has a flexible deflecting arm 32 normally extending inwardly toward the gun, as shown by the chain line of Fig. 3. Arm 32 is sufiiciently flexible to bend laterally to the solid line posltlon of Fig. 3 to allow passage of ammunition lntlng arms 23a carried by the chain, and is suinciehtly rigid to deflect ammunition 32a from the hoist onto the loading tray or the gun as will be explained presently. In order to maintain the deflector arm 32 in fixed elevation relation to the gun as the gun moves in elevation, the hub 30 carrying the deflector is caused to rotate with the trunnion l3 as the gun moves in elevatlon, by means of one or more screws 33 or other locking means which extend into corresponding openings 33a. in the trunnion.

Hub 30 also has a plurality of spaced holes 34 extending longitudinally therethrough in which are placed pins 35 slightly longer than the holes in the hub. Pins 35 abut at their inner ends against washer 2|, and at their outer ends against the surface of a ring 36. Ring 36 has cam shaped surfaces which coact with correspondingly shaped cam surfaces on a retainer ring 31 which is held stationary by means of bolts 38 fastened to the gun carriage 39. Ring 31 has an inner flange 310. which fits within the ring 36 and upon which ring 36 rotates.

Ring 36 is rotated relative to ring 31 by means of an operating handle 40 and linkage II, the handle being pivotally mounted on the gun carriage 39, and the linkage being connected to twin lugs 36a (Fig. 3) on the ring 36. Carriage 39 supports the gun by means of suitable bearings 42, which provide a rotatable mounting for the hub 30 mounted on the trunning l3.

In operation, springs [8, with their rollers l9 providing a bearing surface for the face of wheel 20, normally maintain wheel 20, ring 2| and pins 35 in their positions as shown in Fig. 5, in which the gear teeth of wheel 20 are separated from pinion gear H. In this position of the parts, reciprocation of the rack 14 has no effect on wheel 20 or on the sprocket wheel 22, the operating handle 40 being in its hoist inoperative position.

When it is desired that the hoist become operative by firing of the gun, the handle 49 is moved to the appropriate position, whereby cam ring 36 is rotated through a small arc to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which it is moved inwardly toward the gun by the effect of its cam surfaces rotating against the stationary cam surfaces of ring 31. When the ring 36 moves inwardly, it pushes pins 35 and ring 21 inwardly,

forcing wheel 20 and its gear into engagement 4 with pinion [1. In this position of the parts, firing of the gun and the subsequent recoil of housing ll moves the rack 4 to the rear, rotating pinion H and rotating wheel 20 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. However, the sprocket wheel 22 is not rotated during recoil of the gun due to the engagement of its pawls 25, with the notches on stationary hub 30, and due to the arrangement of pawls 24 with relation to notches 28 on ring 20. On counterrecoil of the gun and housing under the innuence of the counter-recoil springs (not shown), the forward movement of rack l4 causes rotation of pinion H which drives wheel 20 in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 2 by the gear on wheel 20. This causes notches 28 on wheel 20 to engage pawls 24 and rotate sprocket wheel 22 in a clockwise direction, thus movingthe hoist chain 23 with its load of ammunition. The movement of the hoist chain pushes the ammunition 32a against the dehector arm 32 which deflects the ammunition from the hoist onto the loading tray of the gun at which point the ammunition comes under the control of the loading mechanism (not shown) of the gun.

The lengthof the rack Hi, the gear ratios, the size of the sprocket teeth and chain, etc. are arranged so that the counter-recoil of the gun brings the desired number of rounds of ammunition (usually one only) onto the loading tray on counter-recoil of the gun each time the gun is fired.

If it is desired to render the hoist inoperative, the operating handle, 40, is moved to the hoist inoperative position, thus rotating ring 36 back to its position as shown in Fig. 5, which in turn permits springs I8 to force the wheel 20, ring 2!,

and pin 35 to the right as shown in Fig. 5, thus disengaging the gear on wheel 20 om the pinion l1 and rendering inoperative the counter-recoil actuated hoist operating mechanism.

By the use of the deflecting arm 32, the need for complicated mechanism for transferring ammunition from thehoist to the gun loading mechanism is dispensed with, thus reducing the weight and complication of the device. As the arm 32 moves in elevation with the gun, it provides a simple ammunition transfer mechanism which is operative through a wide range of gun elevations, thus overcoming one objection to many previous transfer devices, namely, that their use is restricted to a narrow range of gun elevations, necessitating the return of the gun to the loading position after each shot, with the resulting decrease in the rate of fire of the weapon. It is obvious that other types of defiecting arms could be used in this device, such as a hinged spring pressed non-resilient arm. It should be noted that it is not essential for the deflecting arm to be resilient or be resiliently urged toward the gun if. the hoist is so arranged that no part of the hoist contacts the deflecting arm. If such a hoist is used, a stationary deflector could be used.

The hoist device-shown herein has the advantage of simplicity and obviating the need for an external source of power to operate the hoist, as the hoist is operated by the counter-recoil motion of the gun. However, hoists driven by external power sources may be used if desired with the deflecting arm of this invention. If desired, a separate power drive can be supplied to the hoist chain through a sprocket wheel (not shown) at the lower end of the hoist when it is not desired to actuate the hoist by counterrecoil of the gun. Actually, a lower sprocket wheel is used with the endless hoist chain, regardless of whether or not an outside power source is used.

While the drawings show the hoist carrying a projectile only, the invention is, of course, not limited to such use but also includes the use of fixed ammunition. When semi-fixed ammunition is used with the device, a similar assembly can be used on the left hand trunnion of the gun so that projectiles are brought to the loading mechanism on one side of the gun and the powder case brought up on the other side of the gun. It is also within the scope of the invention to load a single hoist alternately with projectiles and powder cases when using semifixed ammunition so that the hoist would bring both the projectiles and the separate powder cases to the gun at each firing of the gun. This would simply be a matter of changing gear ratios, sprocket ratios, etc. When using the invention with fixed ammunition, a single hoist brings up the complete round which is transferred to the loading tray of the gun by the deflector of the type described herein.

The invention herein described may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. An ammunition conveyor for use with a. gun having a trunnion and a recoiling part, comprising, in combination, a sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on said trunnion adjacent the gun, a flexible ammunition conveying chain passing over and engaging said sprocket wheel, a rack mounted on said recoiling gun part, a gear wheel rotatably mounted on said trunnion and adapted to be rotated by reciprocation of said rack, and means including a pawl and a ratchet for transmitting rotation from said wheel to said sprocket only during counter-recoil of the gun, whereby said sprocket wheel is actuated and the chain is moved to thereby convey ammunition to a position adjacent the gun.

. 2. An ammunition conveyor for use with a gun having a trunnion and a recoiling part, comprising, in combination, a sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on said trunnion adjacent the gun, a flexible ammunition conveying chain passing over and engaging said sprocket wheel, a rack mounted on said recoiling gun part, a pinion driven by said rack, a gear wheel rotatably mounted on said trunnion and movable axially 6 for engagement and disengagement with said pinion, a notch on said gear Wheel, a springpressed pawl carried by said sprocket and cooperating with said notch for transmitting motion from said gear wheel to said sprocket only in a direction which conveys ammunition on said chain toward the gun, a hub fixed on said trunnion, a notch on said hub, a second pawl on said sprocket wheel cooperating with said lastmentioned notch for assuring that said sprocket rotates only in a direction which conveys ammunition on said chain toward the gun, and

7 means for moving said gear wheel axially into and out of engagement with said pinion, whereby counter-recoil of the gun after firing operates said hoist chain to convey ammunition to a position adjacent the gun, when said gear wheel and said pinion are engaged.

3. An ammunition conveyor for use with a gun having a trunnion and a recoiling part, comprising, in combination, a sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on said trunnion adjacent the gun, a flexible ammunition conveying chain passing over and engaging said sprocket wheel, a rack carried by said recoiling part, a pinion engaging the rack and adapted to be rotated by reciprocation of said rack, means including a pawl and a ratchet for transmitting rotation from said pinion to said sprocket only during counter-recoil of the gun, whereby said chain is moved to convey ammunition to a position adjacent the gun, and means positioned adjacent said conveyor chain for deflecting said ammunition laterally from the conveyor chain onto the gun.

EDWARD WALLACE FARRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 660,998 Raymond Oct. 30, 1900 704,985 Trochain July 15, 1902 1,332,060 Pacilli Feb. 24, 1920 2,047,596 Romberg July 14, 1936 2,353,118 Schirokauer July 4, 1944 2,357,127 North Aug. 29, 1944 2,382,522 Trotter Aug. 14, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 498,193 Germany May 20, 1930 

